Public urged to be vigilant over online ads during festive period – CERT

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SL CERT) has issued a public advisory urging people to exercise caution when engaging with online advertisements as the festive season approaches.

Senior Information Security Engineer at SLCERT, Charuka Damunupola, stated that several incidents of online scams have already been reported to the organisation during the first two months of this year.

He noted that with the upcoming festive season—particularly the Sinhala and Tamil New Year—there is an increased risk of fraudulent advertisements and malicious links appearing online, often disguised as discounts, cash prizes, or special promotional offers.

Damunupola explained that such malicious links frequently direct users to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal information and other sensitive data.

Furthermore, he warned that during the Vesak and Poson festive periods, scammers may attempt to collect user data through deceptive schemes, including those promoted under names such as “Poson Maha Data Dansala.”

Accordingly, SLCERT has urged the public to remain vigilant and exercise caution when accessing unsolicited links or advertisements encountered online.